Device for measuring the length of coils of strips of uniform thickness



Oct. 21, 1958 G. PATTANTYUS 2,856,691 DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE LENGTH OF COILS 0F STRIPS OF UNIFORM THICKNESS Filed May 17, 1955 000 0 L n o INVENTOR GEORGES PATTANTYUS BY LLmT/n Lvwbmi/n ATTORNEYS United States PatentO DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE LENGTH OF cores F STRIPS or UNIFORM THICKNESS It is an object of the invention to provide a device for measuring the lengths of strips having uniform thickness with great exactitude when the same are Wound up 1 in a coil.

It is another object of the inventionto' provide a, device of the aforesaid kind which is of simple construction and shows great accuracy in operation.

It is finally an object of'this invention to provide a device as described above which can bemanufacturedin a simple and economic manner.

Devices for measuring coils of strips of uniform thickness are used for instance for measuring the length of tape in recording and play back apparatus in ,order to determine the total length of the strip that is wound 'up in a coil, as well as to find rapidly certain desired spots intermediate the ends of the strip. These devices serve furthermore for determining the distance of such a desired spot on the coil by units of length.

However, the field of application of the device according to my invention is not limited to sound recording tapes. This device can also be used anywhere where analogous conditions make it applicable such as in measuring film coils and the like. The hitherto known devices for the said purposes are usually complicated and have sensitive gear transmissions which give rather inaccurate results, or give only partial results from which the desired final result can only be obtained in a complicated manner through the use of tables, diagrams or the like.

In order to avoid the aforesaid drawbacks of the known measuring devices, the apparatus according to my invention is constructed in a simple manner. It comprises a disk which is driven by the reel bearing the strip to be Wound up, or by a driving device for the aforesaid reel.

The apparatus further comprises an axially displaceable wheel which is mounted on a shaft in spaced relation to the aforesaid disk. The wheel is actuated by the disk and is concurrently displaced radially in outward direction along the shaft. The wheel in turn drives the shaft on which it is mounted, and the shaft is in turn connected with an indicating means. The indicating means may be any one of a number of known types such as for instance a counting device, an indicating hand in conneetion with a calibrated scale or the like from which the units of length can be read directly in each case.

On the driving disk there are provided a number of perforations or bores evenly spaced from one another and located along a curve which is preferably of spiral shape. Cone-shaped pointed projections mounted on the displaceable wheel evenly spaced from one another are adapted to engage the bores on the driving disk. Thereby the wheel bearing these pointed protrusions is successively moved in outward direction in correspondence with the inclination on the spiral curve of the bores in the driving disk, during operation of the apparatus. This arrangement makes it possible to obtain a linear indication for the rotation of the driving shaft of the coil.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the shaft 2,856,691 Patented Oct. 21, 1958 2 bearing the wheel with its pointed protrusions actuates a rotary hand moving across a calibrated scale, the hand being actuated from the wheel shaft by means of a gear transmission.

In order to return the apparatus to its initial position the driving disk is devised retractably into a corresponding recess in the casing of the apparatus. It is thus possible to disengage the connection between a driving worm and the toothed periphery of the disk as well as between the disk and the projection-bearing wheel, so that the latter can again be returned to its innermost position and reengage the perforations along the spiral curve on the driving disk anew in starting position. The driving disk is brought into operational position by means of a spring and held therein or preferably urged against: the projectionbearingwheel by means of light pressure: from resilient means, such as a spring.

The several objects and advantages referred to above will become more apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a top view of the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross section through the apparatus according to my invention shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings more in, details and particularly to Figure 1, reference numeral 1 designates the driving disk having at its circumference a toothing or thread 2, which engages the worm 3. This worm 3 is mounted on shaft 4 which is for instance driven from the driving means 22 for the coil of strip wound up on a reel 23.

The disk 1 is rotatively mounted on the shaft 7 which shaft can be pressed downwardly through an opening 20 of the casing 19.

A plurality of bores 5 are arranged on the upper surface of disk 1 beginning from an innermost position near the shaft 7 outwardly in the form of a spiral curve 6.

Spring 8 urges disk 1 in upward direction against the wheel 9. This wheel 9 possesses a plurality of coneshaped pointed projections 10 which engage the bores 5 in disk 1 during rotation and thereby displace the wheel 9 radially in outward direction in relation to the disk 1. The wheel 9 is mounted axially displaceable at one end of a shaft 12 which is in turn rotatably mounted in the bearing 11, forming part of the instrument casing 19.

During its rotation and axial displacement, the wheel 9 causes the shaft 12 to rotate. At its opposite end, shaft 12 bears a bevel gear 13 which engages another bevel gear 14 mounted on the shaft 15. This latter shaft actuates the hand 16 rotating over the scale 17.

By pressure upon the shaft 7 the disk 1 can be lowered into a recess 18 against the pressure of spring 8, and the cone-shaped projections 10 on the wheel 9' are thus disengaged from the bores 5 on the disk 1.

I What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for measuring lengths of strips of even thickness wound up in a coil, comprising a disk,

driving means for actuating said disk at a determined ratio together with the rotation of said coil, a rotatable shaft arranged in substantially radial direction above said disk and restrained against axial movement, a wheel nonrotatably mounted upon said shaft and in rolling engagement with the surface of said disk so that rotation of said wheel upon said disk will cause said shaft to rotate, said wheel being axially displaceable on said shaft, said wheel being displaceable radially outwardly on said shaft in relation to said disk, said shaft moving a pointer over a calibrated scale.

2. An apparatus for measuring lengths of strips of even thickness wound up in a coil and comprising a disk, said disk being provided on its surface with a plurality of uniformly spaced bores, said bores being arranged on said disk to form a spiral-shaped curve, means even thickness wound up in a coil and comprising a disk, for actuating said disk at a predetermined ratio together -said"disk-being-provided on its surface with a plurality with the rotation of said coil, a Wheel, cone-shaped proof uniformly spaced bores, driving means for actuating trusions around the rim of said wheel with said prosaid disk at a predetermined ratio together with the rotrusions engaging said 'bor-es on 'said disk, *a" shaft 'ar 5 tation of said coil, a wheel having cone-shaped protrurang'ed in substantially a radial "direction "above said sions provided around its rim, said protrusions engaging disk, said wheel being 'displaceable on'sai c'lfishaft iilan said bores on said disk a shaft arranged in substantially axial direction to move radially outwardly aid-shaft a -radial directionabove said disk, said wheel being diswith respect to said di'sk,'a'calibrated -sc'ale,"'and' 'a'ipdinter place'able on. said, shanm an axial direction, a calibrated movable by said shaft over said calibrated-"scale. 10 scale, and a pointer movable by said shaft over said 3. An app'aratusa's described inclaim 1, and further calibrated scale.- cornprisinga rotative pointer and a calibratedscale, and 6. In an apparatus, for measuring lengths of strips of a transmission for 'drivingly connectingsai'd shaft with even thickness wound up in a coil, a disk, driving means i said pointer. for aetuating: s'aidiidisk at. a vpredetermined ratio together '4. Ana'ppar'atus for measuring length-s of-strips'o f'even 15 with the rotation of said coil, a driving means mth'ickness woundup ina"c'oil'and'comprising a disk, drivprising a Worm, "said disk being'drivingly connected with ing'meansfo'r actuating s'aidflisk at a determined ratio means for moving a pointer over a calibrated scale at a together with the rotation of said-coil, said drivingm'ean's ratio determin y h m in of said p a Casing, Comprising a worma a g l 'aflangd there being a recess .in said casing whereinto -said disk in substantially aradial direction above said disk and 20 Wbb f p g ur ing s Out f aid restrained against axial movement, said wheekbeingd'iss p g P' ng provided placeable on said shaft in 'an axialdirectionto move rah l m d Segments amund. its P p y, Said Wofmj diallyoutwardly "on said shaft with respect to said disk, l lgl' a i g j' s f r r tating Said disk.;

a calibrated scale, a pointe'rmovableby said'shaft 'o've'r said calibrated scale, acasin'g, there being a recess in References Cited in the 'filerof this patent said casing whereinto said disk maybe retracted, a V I 1 spring u'r gin'g said disk out of said recess intooperating UNITED STATES "PATENTS pos'ition,-'saiddisk being provided'with toothed segments 548,903 Wood Oct. 29, 1895 'aroundfits periphery, said-worm engaging said t'o'othe'd 3o 1',"58"5; 6E6 0 Frampton May 25, 1926 segmentsfor rotatingsa'id-disk. 0 2,469,190 fPetrofi et a]. Jan. 25, 1949 S. "apparatus for 'measuring lengths of stripsof 2,767,474 "Sehmit't 'Oct. 23, 1956 

